Page 114 of Love Deep

“We can do that,” he says, dipping his head to try to meet my gaze. “I don’t want you to be sad,” he says. “I want more than anything to make you happy.”

“You do,” I say. “I’ve never been happier than being with you and Riley and watching movies and eating pancakes.”

“Well, why don’t we do that forever?”

I gaze up into his blue eyes and wonder if this is really possible. Could I really have a life with this beautiful man who’s holding me in his arms?

“You can split your time between Star Falls and New York during the semester?—”

“Juniper, we can work out the logistics. But I need to know this is what you want.”

I nod, scared to say the words. I don’t know if I’m allowed to have a perfect life when I get my beautiful daughter, my dream career painting, and the man that makes everything make sense.

“Tell me, Juniper.” He takes my face in his hands and searches my eyes.

I take a deep breath. “You’re what I want, Fisher.”

It feels like an end of something, but I don’t feel sad, like I’m grieving anything. Maybe because it’s an end to my life without Fisher.

Tonight’s the beginning of something: our life together.

FORTY-TWO

Juniper

I haven’t managed to sleep much. It’s like I’m too eager to get on with my new life.

“Mommy, where are we?” Riley says, as she sits up in bed next to me. I’ve been scrolling through my phone, trying to resist Fisher, who’s in the bedroom next door.

Fisher carried a sleeping Riley back downstairs after our conversation last night, and we all went back to his place. There’s so much I need to know about his life here. I wish we didn’t have to go back to Star Falls.

“We came back to Fisher’s apartment last night,” I reply, pulling my daughter in for a hug.

Riley squeals. “Does that mean we can have pancakes?”

I check the time on my phone. “It’s six oh five. We have to leave in just over an hour to get to the airport.”

There’s a knock on the bedroom door. “Are people awake in here?”

Fisher pokes his head around the door. I can’t stop myself from smiling.

He blows us both kisses. “Anyone for pancakes? I heard someone mention something.”

“I don’t think we have time before we leave,” I say. “Our flight is at ten fifteen.”

“Do you have plans today? If I can get us all on another flight later on, would that work?”

“But we’ve paid for the flights already. We can’t change them.”

The corners of his mouth twitches. “Riley, do you want to stay in New York for pancakes and get home a little later?”

“I want to stay in New York forever! You know I’m coming to college here,” she says.

Fisher chuckles. “Well, that only gives us the next ten years to deal with.”

“What does that mean?” she says.

I need to tell Riley what’s going on. She deserves my honesty. “Sweet girl, Fisher’s probably going to be spending more time in Star Falls. With the two of us.”